Tokyo : Kristina Timanovskaya, the Olympic sprinter from Belarus who defected to Poland, said she hopes to compete in “at least two more” Olympics in the future.
During a joint press conference with Belarusian opposition politician Pavel Latushko in Warsaw, Poland today, the 24-year old said she is “very saddened by the fact that I was deprived of my chance to participate in the Olympic Games.”
Timanovskaya could not compete due to Belarusian team officials pulling her from the women’s 200 meter sprint after she criticized the country’s sport authorities on social media.
Timanovskaya refused to return to Belarus over safety concerns and instead is seeking asylum for herself and her husband in Poland, where she awaits a hearing from the International Olympic Committee.
Regarding the hearing, Latushko said the sprinter’s interests are being represented by a lawyer from Japan and the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation.
CNN
